Dakota Beacon

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

When you read this, the November elections will probably be over. If they are, the die has been cast; if they are not, please cast your vote for a return to a representative republic, and not an illusionary utopia run by professional politicians who have. It is still incredible to me that anyone in North Dakota could still harbor the delusion that these three stooges we have in Congress even remotely represent ND values and wishes. Byron Dorgan, always the most astute of the three, already “abandoned ship,” of course taking his re-election war chest with him. Earl, after being one of Madame Pelosi’s “yes, mama” boys, now pretends to “attack” her.

It’s really hard to comment on Earl’s political planks (or pranks), since he has voted “Party Line” constantly, deviating only when his vote was not a deciding one. And for you AARP people, if you believe Earl understands this Obama HealthCare Bill and thinks it is good for either your pocketbook or your health, you should immediately see a psychologist or psychiatrist. Earl, of course through his seniorty, which he touts as a reason to vote for him, is “The House Ways and Means Chairman of the Sub-committee on Social Security.” That’s Seniority?? With Charles Rangel, Chairman of the House Ways and Means, in dry-dock having years of political fecal barnacles removed from his “shi_-of –state”, maybe “good ol’ Earl” has moved to a higher position in Madam Pelosi’s lap-dog kennel. So mush for Earl, let’s hope the voters who respect American value “wash him out of their hair, and send him on his way!”Now for my friends at AARP, the Bingo parlors, the soup lines, and all my friends at the State Department of Education, listen up for the next election—CONRAD’s—and please try to remember.

The Sept/23, 2010 Bis/Trib stated “Senators pressed the Securities and Exchange Commission chief enforcement official Wednesday to explain why the agency has yet to demote or fire staffers who waited 12 years to bring charges against an alleged Pnnzi scheme.” It states that, though knowing that R. Allan Stanford was “likely operating a Ponzi scheme, they did not charge the billionaire until 2009, a few months after the “massive” pyramid scheme of financier Bernard Madoff surfaced. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd’s (of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) righteous soul was bothered by this flagrant lack of courage on the part of these “Security” guardians of the people. But North Dakota has a champion of our own looking out for our interests, especially we who are retired, who are happy members of AARP, Flight of Honor, Quilting Parties, WalMart Greeters, Senior Citizen Food Stamp Buffets, and targets for these politicians who want credit (seeking your vote) for having created this mess, yet also trying to deny their individual responsibilities in causing it. As any one who is alive enough to fog a mirror knows, since the Democrats have controlled BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS since 2006, plus the OVAL Office since 2008, our two Senators could have stopped any one of these bills, by merely representing ND, instead of Harry Reid. BUT THEY DID NOT.

Sally Pipes’ new book, The Truth About ObamaCare, published 2010, states that the “Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) which in ObamaCare will provide the revenue to pay for the basic activities of daily living –like getting dressed, bathing, cooking or using the restroom, which constitute “long term care.” She says, Medicare does not cover long term care. So people who might need such care have two choices: purchase private long term care or “deplete their assets, and rely on Medicaid, which covers “some” long term services- (funeral expenses, most likely.) Or one can “overdose” on stimulus pills. Now comes the GREAT news about this great plan for you AARP people: Starting in 2011, all employees whose employer elects to enter CLASS will have between $150 and $240 deducted from their paychecks “unless they, the employee formally opts out.” They will be eligible for $50 to $100 per day if the are unable to perform at least two activities of daily living.

HOWEVER, in order to qualify for this cash, participants must have paid premiums for at least five years prior to drawing benefits—and worked for three of those five years.” This is the classic description of a “Ponzi” scheme. 1 million participants at $200 per month times 5 years BEFORE one dollar is ever paid out. Of this ObamaCare Ponzi Scheme, Senator Ken Conrad is quoted, on page 143 of The Truth about ObamaCare, “Democrat Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota, the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee,, dubbed the CLASS Act a ‘Ponzi scheme of the first order.’” BUT KENT CONRAD VOTED FOR IT. Why?? Same reason that inspired Earl to back Pelosi.

Either lack of knowledge and understanding, or wisdom that passeth all reason and logic, of lack of courage in the face of Madam Defarge and her cohorts, and in the case of Conrad, maybe one of his charts fell on him and upset his abacus. Or maybe it’s just the jelly-fish syndrome (lack of a spine). Which, by the way, is covered only at the Congressional Level.

Citizen of ND since 1953, Ruben has BS and BA degrees from Dickinson State University, MA in English from University of Kansas, and was a Mandan High School teacher for 20 years, College faculty member at Dickinson State, Bismarck State, and the University of Mary. Married to wife Lois since 1958 with 5 children.